It was as if their hearts were beating in unison. All eyes turned toward He Yiming.

After witnessing the scene in the sky, they all understood that the giant dragon had deliberately performed this incredible divine transformation in response to He Yiming's stance. Although they couldn't comprehend how this dragon managed such a miraculous feat, it did not alter their judgment.

What confused them, however, was why this dragon placed such immense value on He Yiming; its desire for him seemed far stronger than its desire for everyone else combined. Yuan Lixun’s smile had long vanished.

Upon seeing the scene mid-air and hearing the dragon’s words, she naturally grasped the implication. “No, this isn't fair…” Yuan Lixun’s voice, crisp and loud, carried a surge of intense emotion: “He is young.

Even if he doesn't ascend to the Divine Path, he still has hundreds of years of life left.” Her gaze swept across the Human Dao Peak experts and the dragon above, and in that moment, she feared no pressure from anyone: “He is different from you.” Bing Xiaotian and the others fell silent. For He Yiming, this was indeed a profoundly unfair situation.

A Human Dao Peak expert not yet thirty years old possessed the right to choose different paths. Conversely, for Ji Mofan Shu and the others, if they failed to advance to the Divine Path here, they would die within a century at the latest due to the expiration of their natural lifespans.

Rather than waiting helplessly for death to arrive outside, it was better to stake everything here; succeeding in advancing to the Divine Path would grant them more than double their remaining lifespan. Yuan Lixun had hit the nail on the head, articulating the greatest reason: letting He Yiming stay would indeed be unfair.

The dragon's voice boomed once more: “Little girl, you have also witnessed the terror of those deceased beings. Now that the passage cannot be closed, new, powerful deceased creatures emerge every hundred years.

Among these terrifying entities, there are differences in strength. One type, the golden-bodied deceased creatures, possesses power comparable to an ordinary Divine Path expert.

Over these past few centuries, if not for the fortunate appearance of several Pseudo-God Realm powerhouses among humanity, we might not have been able to guard this passage entrance. But…” The dragon’s voice lowered for the first time: “…those people are all old; they cannot persist forever.

Therefore, we hope for new blood to join us. Only with more Pseudo-God Realm experts can this passage be guarded eternally.” Yuan Lixun’s delicate eyebrows lifted slightly.

Her usually gentle demeanor underwent a drastic transformation at this moment; it was as if she had released a lifetime’s worth of courage all at once. “Lord Divine Dragon, there are already seven Human Dao Peak experts here who have agreed to stay.” “Their ages are not small either.

Even if they manage to ascend to the Divine Path here, the vast majority will only remain in the Virtual God Realm throughout their lives. Ascending to the Pseudo-God Realm is exceedingly difficult.

But this young man beside you is different; he possesses the most formidable cultivation talent, the very talent most likely to reach the Pseudo-God Realm,” the dragon lowered its voice slightly. “Our world needs his power.” The eyes of Bing Xiaotian and the others, looking towards He Yiming, now flickered with a faint, burning spark.

Although they no longer doubted He Yiming’s ability to advance to the Divine Path, hearing the dragon’s assessment still sent a jolt of apprehension through them. Yuan Lixun gripped He Yiming’s hand tighter, watching him intently.

He Yiming’s expression shifted constantly; anyone could see the difficult choice weighing on his heart. Bai Lingba slowly approached, coming to stand beside He Yiming and Yuan Lixun.

In a near-inaudible whisper, he slowly said: “Agree to it.” He Yiming looked up sharply, his gaze fixed intently on Bai Lingba—this old fellow, who seemed to have arrived from nowhere and had lived for at least several thousand years, nodded solemnly. He Yiming cracked a smile and nodded once.

In that instant, he placed his trust in Bai Lingba without reservation. “Yiming, I will stay with you.” Yuan Lixun’s face had completely regained its calm; her previous agitation dissipated completely with He Yiming’s decision.

“No.” He Yiming responded without hesitation: “You must leave.” Yuan Lixun offered a gentle smile: “Yiming, I have never defied anything before. So now, let me be willful just this once.” He Yiming’s expression darkened significantly; his heart began to stir with conflict once more.

“Yiming, I am tired. Chasing the pace you set has exhausted me too much.

So, I wish to rest a little.” Yuan Lixun smiled sweetly, but in her eyes at that moment flashed pure, heartfelt sincerity: “If I leave now, I will regret it for the rest of my life.” He Yiming managed a wry smile: “But if you don’t leave, I will regret it for the rest of my life.” After hearing the dragon’s evaluation of the deceased creatures, He Yiming was not absolutely certain he could protect her safety amidst the overwhelming tide of descending beings. Bai Lingba leaned in slightly closer and whispered something into Yuan Lixun’s ear.

Yuan Lixun’s eyes immediately sharpened; she seemed instantly reinvigorated, her entire aura transforming. “You aren’t lying to me?” Bai Lingba replied coldly: “Have you ever seen me lie to anyone?” Yuan Lixun fell silent for a long moment, then slowly shook her head, her eyes suddenly brimming with spirit and brimming with hope.

“Good. I will leave.” She nodded heavily, emphasizing each word: “I will leave.” A strange look flickered in He Yiming’s eyes.

He had just sensed Yuan Lixun’s resolve—a determination to live and die with him, and it had been extraordinarily strong, an unshakable conviction. Yet, whatever Bai Lingba had whispered in her ear caused her attitude to perform a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, leading her to willingly ask to leave.

With a slight stir of thought, He Yiming immediately considered a possibility. However, this possibility seemed too vague and ethereal.

Bai Lingba extended his hand, making a gesture. He Yiming, perplexed, also extended his arm, clasping Bai Lingba’s hand.

But after a slight change in his expression, it returned to normal. Because on his hand, there was now an extra finger.

Then, he heard Bai Lingba’s quiet instruction: “Place this with the tracker and follow the instructions.” He Yiming slowly nodded. When he retracted his hand, the metallic-looking finger segment had already entered the Five Elements World.

On Bai Lingba’s hand, a new finger had apparently grown. Their exchange was calm and discreet, accomplished silently without alerting anyone else.

Bai Lingba similarly murmured something into the ears of Bao Zhu and White Horse Lightning. These two top-tier sacred beasts immediately quieted down.

They held an unparalleled level of trust in Bai Lingba’s words. Only the Qilin Beast absolutely refused to leave, remaining stubbornly rooted despite all threats from the Qilin Holy Master.

However, half an hour later, the dragon displayed its incomparable, immense power. It extended a massive claw, seemingly capable of obscuring the heavens and the earth, and gently pushed the Qilin Beast.

This premier sacred beast shot away from its spot, tumbling into a patch of sand behind it. But the moment its body touched the sand, an energy fluctuation erupted, and it vanished instantly.

“They leave the way they entered,” the dragon explained slowly. He Yiming gave a wry smile internally.

After witnessing the dragon’s strength, he felt a secret admiration and understood even more clearly that if this dragon had never intended to let him leave from the start, he would have had absolutely no room to resist. Next, the dragon waved its claws casually.

With every wave, one person flew out—Yuan Lixun, White Horse Lightning, and Bao Zhu departed in succession. Finally, it seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally swinging a claw, sending Bai Lingba away as well.

He Yiming’s eyelids twitched rapidly. The others noticed nothing unusual, but He Yiming clearly understood that the dragon regarded Bai Lingba with special consideration; they had definitely met before.

Yet, Bai Lingba firmly denied it, leaving He Yiming perplexed. “Since you all have chosen to stay, then cultivate diligently.

Soon, the number of those damned things will increase. If you haven’t succeeded in advancing before the large-scale arrival of the deceased creatures, then the fate awaiting you is death,” the dragon’s voice softened slightly after sending away all irrelevant parties.

“The best way to break through is through combat. I can use spatial power to teleport you near those scattered deceased creatures.

Although it carries some risk, this method undoubtedly offers the highest probability of advancement.” Bing Xiaotian paused slightly: “Lord Divine Dragon, have they already appeared?” “You could call them their vanguard. If you cannot even deal with these scattered individuals, then you are not qualified to advance.” Bing Xiaotian and the others exchanged glances and simultaneously nodded in agreement.

As long as they could advance to the Divine Path sooner, they were naturally willing to take the risk. The dragon laughed contentedly several times.

When it stopped, everyone felt dizzy, swaying precariously. If they hadn't been certain that this dragon belonged to their side, they might have suspected it was actually an enemy spy.

“Remember, you must fight; you cannot flee even if death approaches, or else forget about advancing to the Divine Path within half a year.” Following the dragon’s roar, a massive, indescribable claw reached down from the high sky, then suddenly grasped, squeezed, and swept. Nine similarly dazzling lights flashed through the air, circling continuously.

After a while, they finally descended, each beam of light enveloping one person, even enveloping the Divine Dao Blood Condensation expert. Then, the light grew increasingly brilliant, accompanied by faint popping sounds.

When everything concluded, the light dissipated. Only He Yiming and the Divine Dao Blood Condensation expert remained here; everyone else had vanished.